Desk Yoga Guided Relaxation
Take a break from your day to reset with this simple guided meditation right at your desk. Use this meditation to reset your posture, boost your energy and manage stress from the comfort of your office.
Transcript
Welcome to Desk Yoga.
This guided meditation is designed to help you reconnect to your body in a mindful way anytime during your work day.
It's a gentle body scan for you to use seated at your desk or at home.
Before we begin,
Take a moment to notice your chair.
Notice how your feet are touching the floor,
The angle of your knees,
How your hips and low back are supported.
If you're feeling pressure behind your knees or find that your seat height is a little bit high,
Place a book or folded towel under your feet.
If your knees feel too high,
Place that folded towel on your chair to raise the hips a little bit.
If you find yourself slouching into the back of the chair or if you find it's difficult to sit up straight without too much effort,
Then grab a pillow to place behind your back.
When you feel a comfortable level of support,
We can begin.
Looking away from your screen,
Soften your gaze or close your eyes,
Turn your attention inward.
Notice your breath.
First,
Without changing anything about it,
Take a moment to notice your feet.
If you feel a comfortable level of support,
Just feel how you are breathing in this moment.
Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest and feel where your breath goes.
Just breathe and feel.
Let go of what you think this moment should be or what you have expected it to be and just allow yourself to be here,
Here and now in your body without judgment.
When you're ready,
Let your arms relax,
Resting them on the arms of your chair or on your desk or in your lap.
Take your attention to the soles of your feet.
Place your feet flat on the floor,
Wiggle your toes and then lifting up to the floor.
Take your feet flat on the floor,
Wiggle your toes and then lifting only your toes up as high as you can,
Gently place each one back down on the ground one at a time.
Now inhale and lift your hands up.
Now inhale and lift your heels as high as you're comfortable.
As you exhale,
Slowly lower your heels to the floor.
Take several breaths like this or add a flexion,
Gently pulling the front of your foot towards the shin and then lifting the heel,
Rolling forward and back through the foot with each breath.
Stay with this movement for several slow,
Easy breaths.
Then when you're ready,
Return your feet flat on the floor.
Then when you're ready,
Return your feet flat to the floor and gently begin to rock your feet side to side,
Moving through your own just right range of motion.
Try to find each edge of your feet.
When you're ready,
Returning your feet center,
Sinking into four corners of each foot as it presses into the floor.
Now bring your awareness up to your knees and thighs.
Try to contract the muscles in the front and the back of your thighs without moving your legs.
Now relax and breathe.
On your next inhale,
Extend one leg straight to the other side.
On your next inhale,
Extend one leg straight out in front of you,
Pressing out through the bottom of your foot.
As you exhale,
Gently return it to the floor,
Inhaling and extending the other leg,
Pressing out through the bottom of that foot,
Exhaling and returning it to the floor.
Now notice how your sit bones make contact with your seat.
Feel your hips and low back.
When you're ready,
Return your feet to the floor.
Feel your hips and low back.
When you're ready,
Lift your chest and arch into your low back,
Letting your belly come forward for a moment.
Then tuck your tailbone underneath your body,
Pressing your low back into the back of your chair.
Returning center,
Try to find a neutral point between those two extremes.
Feel how your sit bones rest evenly into your chair.
Feel your spine.
Imagine each vertebrae as a separate joint,
Joints that are linked together with the spine.
Joints that are linked together with strength of purpose and gratitude.
Return to your breath.
As you inhale,
Feel a gentle lift,
Drawing you up from the crown of your head,
Creating space between each vertebrae.
As you exhale,
Allow a little bit more tension to flow away from your body.
Begin to feel your hands and arms relax.
Inhale slowly.
As you exhale,
Touch your thumb to the tip of each of your fingers.
Inhale slowly.
As you exhale,
Feel your shoulders falling away from your ears.
Inhale slowly.
As you exhale,
Allow your neck and jaw to soften.
Inhale and feel that lift from the crown of your head.
Inhale slowly.
As you exhale,
Feel your shoulders falling away from your ears.
Inhale slowly.
As you inhale and feel that lift from the crown of your head.
As you exhale,
Gently turn your head to look over your left shoulder.
Turn as far as you can without pain or strain.
Inhaling back through center and exhaling to the other side.
Take three to six breaths this way.
When you're ready,
Inhale and feel that lift from the crown of your head.
As you exhale,
Tilt your head gently to the left,
Feeling the stretch through the right side of your neck.
When you're ready,
Inhale and feel that lift from the crown of your head.
As you exhale,
Tilt your head gently to the left,
Feeling the stretch through the right side of your neck.
When you're ready to inhale,
Come back through center and exhale to the other side,
Sinking into a comfortable stretch.
Taking three to six breaths this way,
Allow the muscles in the neck to release.
Returning center when you're ready,
Inhaling,
Taking your gaze up towards the ceiling and then gently exhaling to sink your chin towards your chest,
Moving through your own just right range of motion.
Feel the length of your breath through the front and back of your neck.
Taking three to six breaths like this.
As you exhale,
Feel the stretch through the back of your neck,
Taking three to six breaths this way.
Taking three to six breaths like this.
When you're ready,
Roll through your shoulders a couple of times in each direction.
Up,
Back and down.
Up,
Forward and down.
Connecting with your breath as we move into a seated cat cow,
Placing your hands on the floor.
Inhale and lift your gaze up towards the ceiling.
Taking three to six breaths this way,
Allowing the muscles in the neck to release.
Taking three to six breaths this way.
Connecting with your breath as we move into a seated cat cow.
Inhale and lift your gaze up,
Dropping your shoulders and arching through the spine.
Exhaling as you tuck your chin and round through your back,
Breathing new space into your body and mind with each breath.
Make your movements as big or as small as you need them to be.
Breathing and moving here with mindful awareness.
When you're ready,
Gently moving back into stillness,
Finding your breath,
Inhaling strength and peace.
Taking three to six breaths this way,
Allowing the muscles in the neck to release.
When you're ready,
Gently moving back into stillness,
Finding your breath,
Inhaling strength and peace,
Gratitude and love,
Exhaling tension and stress,
Frustration and fear.
Allow yourself to be present in your body without judgment,
Competition or expectation.
Listen for the wisdom inside yourself and know that who you are at your very core is well and truly enough.
Namaste.
